Apple this week announced Swift 2 and said it would open-source it later this year. Swift 2 is a programming language for iOS, OS X and watchOS. It has a new error-handling model. Two new features in Objective-C -- nullability annotations and generics -- make Swift 2 work better with Apple SDKs. Swift is "a modern language where memory management is internalized," said IDC's Al Hilwa.

The community around Docker and containers is drawing interest from large enterprise and service provider end users, as well as involvement from dozens of vendors, including those pursuing various container alternatives. 451 Research has published some new research and analysis on this nascent open source software community in its latest long-format report.

C.H.I.P., a Linux-based mini-PC priced at just $9, is receiving an overwhelming response on Kickstarter. Launched last Thursday with a funding goal of $50,000, it has chalked up more than 16,000 backers who have shelled out upwards of $815,000. The project still has 25 days to go. The tiny open source device, made by Next Thing Co., has been dubbed the "Raspberry Pi killer."

EMC on Wednesday announced it will release its commercial ViPR software storage controller technology as an open source project called "CoprHD." The ViPR software controller puts the control functionality and the data services into separate operational planes, allowing different data services to be layered onto a set of storage hardware products and cloud storage.

VMware last week released details about two new open source projects -- Project Lightwave and Project Photon -- that aim to bridge the divide between the company's virtualization software and other vendors' containers. Both projects integrate into VMware's unified platform for the hybrid cloud, allowing the company to create a consistent environment for cloud-native and traditional applications.

Black Duck Software and North Bridge Venture Partners on Thursday published the results of The Ninth Annual Future of Open Source Survey. The number of companies using some open source products or developing software built with open source components is at an all-time high, it found. The results reflect the increasing enterprise adoption of open source and participation in the OSS community.

Some 60 Linux kernel developers last week adopted a small "patch," called the "Code of Conflict," that attempts to set guidelines for discourse in the kernel community and outlines a path for mediation if someone feels abused or threatened. Linux creator Linus Torvalds' call for improved internal developer relations could be little more than wishful thinking, though.

18F, a development unit within the General Services Administration, was established a year ago to tap into the success of the United Kingdom's Government Digital Services unit by pursuing a similar strategy. The unit is tasked with getting developers from Silicon Valley and the ranks of civic developers all over the country to change how federal technology gets done.

Marten Mickos, senior vice president and general manager of HP's cloud unit, advocates making money from open source. He preaches what at first glance may appear to be two opposing business models. One is the notion that developing open source software entails meeting a reciprocity requirement. The other is the idea that using open source software does not require any reciprocity.

Facebook on Thursday announced a new feature for members who want to plan for their passing into the digital beyond. The feature allows Facebook members to appoint a "legacy contact" to administer their account when they die. Legacy contacts will, among other powers, have the authority to download an archive of the deceased member's public information, including photos, posts and profile information.

2014 saw the rise of Docker, and ended with appropriately inflated hype and hysteria around a related container technology: Rocket. Immediately, discussions of uncertainty and doubt, and the familiar fear of forking unfolded. Was it only a matter of time before some developers or organizations splintered off from the Docker community with their own container technology?

One of the advantages of open source software is the diversity that leads to innovative approaches to improve the computing environment. But can the diversity go too far? Is it a defining characteristic that kills programming creativity? LinuxInsider spoke with a panel of open source developers about the creative versus destructive nature of the seemingly fractured world of open source.

Patches for GHOST, a critical vulnerability in glibc, the Linux GNU C Library, now are available through vendor communities for a variety of Linux server and desktop distributions. Qualys earlier this week reported its discovery of GHOST, a vulnerability that allows attackers to remotely take control of an entire system without having any prior knowledge of system credentials.

A group of developers made good on their threats to fork Debian Linux late last year, after the community's leadership voted to replace sysvinit with systemd, making systemd the default init boot process. The Debian Technical Committee's decision spurred several key Debian developers and project maintainers to resign. Some of them formed a new community dedicated to forking Debian.

The developmental path and sketchy developer website may cast an unfavorable impression about Zenwalk's trustworthiness as a serious computing platform. The ho-hum impression when first running the live edition does little to encourage users to take this Linux OS for a stroll. Zenwalk Linux becomes a bit more impressive once you get beyond the awkward first-time experience.

The past week has afforded plenty of fodder for conversation here in the Linux blogosphere: the MintBox Mini; the Steam for Linux file-deletion bug; and the latest in the Systemd saga, for example. However, this week seems like a good time to revisit some classic gems from days gone by -- particularly the sweet spot that can be found at the intersection of Linux and Love.

Well it was a fairly quiet week here in the Linux blogosphere, as much of the mainstream tech world staggered directly out of their New Year's revelries and into the halls of CES.
Not that Linux didn't have a presence at the gargantuan show, mind you. It was there, all right -- not just in phones but in TVs, smartwatches and cars, to name just a few examples.

It's the dawn of a new year here in the Linux blogosphere, and that means the power is in our hands to make 2015 better than the last one. At least in theory, the Systemd Inferno possibly, could be extinguished over these next 12 months; Devuan could thrive -- or not; and Linux in general could see its best year yet. What actually will happen? That is the subject of more than a few musings.

Well we're into the last few days of 2014 here in the Linux blogosphere, and fortunately the tequila supplies down at the Broken Windows Lounge continue to hold strong. The weather outside may be frightful, but the refreshments -- like the software -- remain nothing short of delightful. It didn't take long for bloggers to slip into a sentimental mood as they reminisced about the waning year.

Well the holidays are pretty much upon us at last here in the Linux blogosphere, and there's nowhere left to hide. The next two weeks or so promise little more than a blur of forced social occasions and too-large meals, punctuated only by occasional respite down at the Broken Windows Lounge. Perhaps that's why Linux bloggers seized with such glee upon a good old-fashioned mystery.

The Open Invention Network, or OIN, is waging a global campaign to keep Linux out of harm's way in patent litigation. Its efforts have resulted in more than 1,000 companies joining forces to become the largest defense patent management organization in history. The Open Invention Network was created in 2005 as a white hat organization to protect Linux from license assaults.

Docker has moved from an obscure Linux project to one of the most popular open source technologies in cloud computing. Project developers have witnessed millions of Docker Engine downloads. Hundreds of Docker groups have formed in 40 countries. Many more companies are announcing Docker integration. Even Microsoft will ship Windows 10 with Docker preinstalled.

It's surely a testament to the shocking nature of the recent news about Devuan that the Linux blogosphere has been a rather quiet place of late. Yes, there was last week's Turla news, and yes, the holiday season is looming large, likely dampening more than a few spirits. Still, the atmosphere definitely has been subdued down at the blogosphere's seedy Punchy Penguin Saloon.

How Linux Works: What Every Superuser Should Know offers an unglamorous view of the Linux OS. It takes readers behind the GUI into the bowels of command line operations. This second edition of Brian Ward's classic Linux reference book is completely revised. Though it offers something for everyone, casual Linux users run a slight risk of getting lost in some of the verbiage.

Well, it happened. We knew it was possible; the signs were all there -- but more than a few of us were still holding out hope. "Things will surely get better," we thought. Then the news came. The rumored Debian fork has now become real, and its name is "Devuan." Dev-what, you may say? "I hate the name; I love the idea," said Hyperlogos blogger Martin Espinoza.

It's not easy to stand by and watch a relationship in trouble. First there's the constant bickering, the growing sense of distance, the discontented grumbling. Next, there are the wandering eyes and intentions, and the seeking out of greener pastures. For many longtime Linux users, the past few months have resembled the first phase of breakdown as the Systemd Inferno has blazed higher and higher.

Well Thanksgiving week is upon us here in the land of stars and stripes, and in anticipation of all the social events soon to besiege us, more than a few Linux bloggers have been practicing keeping their favorite barstools warm down at the blogosphere's Punchy Penguin Saloon. How chilly would those stools get if we were all flitting here and there from this party to that? It would be truly unkind.

FOSS fans perhaps may be excused if they've felt a bit confused over the past few days. Dizziness, headaches and vertigo also have been common. What strange new ailment is this, you might ask? Well, it's no ailment -- but that doesn't mean it's any simpler to remedy. The cause is none other than the news that Microsoft is open sourcing .Net and also expanding it to run on Linux and Mac OS.

It's no secret that the Linux community has been in a state of upheaval these last few months, thanks to a little piece of technology known as "Systemd." It not only has been divisive, but also has been distracting us from more important matters. Need an example? Here you go: When was the last time you participated in a rousing revival of the good old "Year of Linux on the Desktop" debate?

Black Lab Linux is a general purpose free distribution for home users and SMBs. This particular segment of the Linux OS tries to bridge free OS and preconfigured commercial hardware/software with a flexible set of options. Black Lab Linux is an outgrowth of OS4 OpenLinux, a distro released in 2008 by the same developers. There is a blurred line between the free and enterprise versions.